Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty + CNN | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/series/glenn-greenwald-security-liberty+media/cnn
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State department attacks CNN for doing basic journalism | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/24/cnn-journal-libya
Obama officials hide behind Ambassador Stevens' family to delegitimize reporting that reflects poorly on them<p>Three days after Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in Benghazi, Libya, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/22/world/africa/libya-ambassador-journal/index.html">CNN found</a> a seven-page handwritten journal he had written. That journal, found on the floor of what CNN called &quot;the largely unsecured consulate compound where he was fatally wounded&quot;, contained obviously newsworthy information: specifically that &quot;in the months leading up to his death, the late ambassador worried about what he called the security threats in Benghazi and a rise in Islamic extremism&quot;. CNN <a href="http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/20/source-slain-ambassador-stevens-worried-about-security-threats-in-libya/"> also reported</a> that Stevens &quot;mentioned his name was on an al Qaeda hit list&quot;.</p><p>After finding the journal, CNN personnel did the only thing which any minimally competent journalist would and should do: they read it, identified the parts that were in the public interest, confirmed their authenticity with independent sources, and then reported those facts to the world. They also notified Stevens' family of what they had found.</p><p>&quot;What they're not owning up to is reading and transcribing Chris's diary well before bothering to tell the family or anyone else that they took it from the site of the attack. Or that when they finally did tell them, they completely ignored the wishes of the family, and ultimately broke their pledge made to them only hours after they witnessed the return to the United States of Chris's remains.</p><p>&quot;Whose first instinct is to remove from a crime scene the diary of a man killed along with three other Americans serving our country, read it, transcribe it, email it around your newsroom for others to read, and only when their curiosity is fully satisfied thinks to call the family or notify the authorities?&quot;</p><p>&quot;The blockbuster news contradicted the line the State Department and the administration had been pushing since the horrible tragedy took place almost two weeks ago: that there was no intelligence of a coming attack. In fact, the Ambassador himself was aware of a persistent high level threat against him.</p><p>&quot;'Perhaps the real question here,' CNN responded to the State Department criticism, 'Is why is the State Department now attacking the messenger.'</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/24/cnn-journal-libya">Continue reading...</a>CNNLibyaUS newsMon, 24 Sep 2012 11:37:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/24/cnn-journal-libyaAFP/Getty ImagesA Libyan man waves his rifle during attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald2012-09-24T11:37:00ZCNN and the business of state-sponsored TV news | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/04/cnn-business-state-sponsored-news
The network is seriously compromising its journalism in the Gulf states by blurring the line between advertising and editorial<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/04/cnn-international-documentary-bahrain-arab-spring-repression">Report: why didn't CNNi air its own 'iRevolution' documentary?</a><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/04/cnn-international-documentary-bahrain-arab-spring-repression">Today I reported on the refusal of CNN International (CNNi) to broadcast an award-winning documentary, &quot;iRevolution&quot;</a>, that was produced in early 2011 as the Arab Spring engulfed the region and which was highly critical of the regime in Bahrain. The documentary, featuring CNN's on-air correspondent Amber Lyon, viscerally documented the brutality and violence the regime was using against its own citizens who were peacefully protesting for democracy. Commenting on why the documentary did not air on CNNi, CNN's spokesman cited &quot;purely editorial reasons&quot;. </p><p>Even so, the network's relationships with governments must bear closer examination. CNNi has aggressively pursued a business strategy of extensive, multifaceted financial arrangements between the network and several of the most repressive regimes around the world which the network purports to cover. Its financial dealings with Bahrain are deep and longstanding.</p><p>&quot;[T]elevision and internet viewers are left with little indication that the programing isn't news, but rather a flashy infomercial exploiting CNN's waning credibility.&quot;</p><p>&quot;'[P]arts of CNN's coverage beyond the daily news are produced as Special Reports, which attract sponsors who pay to associate their products or services with the editorial content,' but claims that 'at no stage do the sponsors have a say in which stories CNN covers.'&quot;</p><p>&quot;CNN International announced that its coverage of the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos is being exclusively sponsored by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (BEDB) for the second year running.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Bahrain is one of the fastest growing economies in the Middle East and World Economic Forum is a natural fit for the BEDB to reach our audience of global opinion formers and influencers.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We're delighted that our partnership with the BEDB remains an enduring and successful one.&quot;</p><p>&quot;[A] comprehensive review of Bahrain's economy and future direction was presented through a series of interviews with various ministers, sector specialists and more.&quot;</p><p>&quot;A big smile and warm greeting clearly mask the undertaking within the court of the crown prince to complete an economic and political reform process.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I've met with the King of Bahrain on numerous occasions. This is a man who wants reform … When he talks about reform, he really means it.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The King is an environmentalist. If I was President Obama, I would say, 'King Abdullah, let's partner together on the environment.'&quot;</p><p>&quot;When people think about CNN as a news operation, they naturally start with the CNN that they see. But if you want to understand CNN as a force in news and the global flow of the news, you have to start with what CNN is – not on your television set, but on all the sets on the world where it plays, because that's the economic logic of the network …</p><p>&quot;What CNN as a company, or as a media empire is, is this international network that somehow gets accepted as this sort of professional, neutral, standard, baseline news service in a wide variety of markets from ruling family transactions to signing up cable partners and airports and hotel chains.</p><p>&quot;The value of what CNN is trying to do to be this consensus news product around the world – not just in the western economic club but around the world – has many serious consequences. One of the consequences is that it puts you into business with ruling regimes in order to get on the air. Of course, there's a relationship between what you broadcast, what you put out as news, and the likelihood of getting accepted by regimes.</p><p>&quot;The nature of this business leads directly to harmlessness in news. That's the way to understand CNN.&quot;</p><p>&quot;CNN International has a proud record of courageous, independent and honest reporting from around the world. Any suggestion that the network's relationship with any country has influenced our reporting is wholly and demonstrably wrong.&quot;</p><p>&quot;CNN sources say the network has bowed to considerable pressure on its editors. Israeli officials boast that they now have only to call a number at the network's headquarters in Atlanta to pull any story they do not like.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I want to encourage mainstream journalists to speak up when they discover their companies are misleading the people, doing PR for corporations and governments and disguising it as journalism. Many journalists get into this business, for low pay and grueling hours, because they genuinely want to make a difference, expose injustice. But what's the point if the elephant in the room is the conduct of own company, and you ignore it?&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/04/cnn-business-state-sponsored-news">Continue reading...</a>CNNBahrainMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsMediaMarketing & PRUS newsTue, 04 Sep 2012 19:02:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/04/cnn-business-state-sponsored-newsPRCNN's state-sponsored program on Kazakhstan. Photograph: via CNNPRCNN's state-sponsored program on Kazakhstan. Photograph: via CNNGlenn Greenwald2012-09-04T19:02:00ZWhy didn't CNN's international arm air its own documentary on Bahrain's Arab Spring repression? | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/04/cnn-international-documentary-bahrain-arab-spring-repression
A former CNN correspondent defies threats from her former employer to speak out about self-censorship at the network<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/04/cnn-business-state-sponsored-news">Comment: CNN and the business of state-sponsored TV news</a><p>In late March 2011, as the Arab Spring was spreading, CNN sent a four-person crew to Bahrain to produce a one-hour documentary on the use of internet technologies and social media by democracy activists in the region. Featuring on-air investigative correspondent Amber Lyon, the CNN team had a very eventful eight-day stay in that small, US-backed kingdom.</p><p>By the time the CNN crew arrived, many of the sources who had agreed to speak to them were either in hiding or had disappeared. Regime opponents whom they interviewed suffered recriminations, as did ordinary citizens who worked with them as fixers. Leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was <a href="http://www.policemc.gov.bh/en/news_details.aspx?type=1&amp;articleId=6696">charged with crimes</a> shortly after speaking to the CNN team. A doctor who gave the crew a tour of his village and arranged meetings with government opponents, Saeed Ayyad, <a href="http://bahraincenter.blogspot.com.br/2011/05/attacking-and-burning-down-of-saeed.html">had his house burned</a> to the ground shortly after. Their local fixer was fired ten days after working with them.</p><p>&quot;I realized there was a correlation between the amount of media attention activists receive and the regime's ability to harm them, so I felt an obligation to show the world what our sources, who risked their lives to talk to us, were facing.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Why would CNNi not run a documentary on the Arab Spring, arguably the the biggest story of the decade? Strange, no?&quot;</p><p>&quot;The documentary 'iRevolution' was commissioned for CNN US. While the programme did not air in full on CNN International, segments of it were shown. This differing use of content is normal across our platforms, and such decisions are taken for purely editorial reasons. CNN International has run more than 120 stories on Bahrain over the past six months, a large number of which were critical in tone and all of which meet the highest journalistic standards.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We are dealing with blowback from Bahrain govt on how we violated our mission, etc.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Because Amber was relatively new in reporting on the region, and especially because of the vocal complaints from the Bahrainis, the documentary was heavily scrutinized. But nobody could ever point to anything factually or journalistically questionable in Amber's reporting on Bahrain.&quot;</p><p>&quot;A proponent of peace, @nabeelrajab risked his safety to show me how the regime oppresses the [people] of #Bahrain.&quot;</p><p>&quot;In common with other companies we do not discuss internal personnel matters.&quot;</p><p>&quot;CNN International has a proud record of courageous, independent and honest reporting from around the world. Any suggestion that the network's relationship with any country has influenced our reporting is wholly and demonstrably wrong.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/04/cnn-international-documentary-bahrain-arab-spring-repression">Continue reading...</a>US newsCNNBahrainMiddle East and North AfricaArab and Middle East unrestMediaUS televisionUS television industryWorld newsTue, 04 Sep 2012 19:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/04/cnn-international-documentary-bahrain-arab-spring-repressionMohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty ImagesA Bahraini protester in Manama. Photograph: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty ImagesMohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty ImagesA Bahraini protester in Manama. Photograph: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald2012-09-04T19:01:00ZElection 2012 and the media: a vast rightwing conspiracy of stupid | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/election-2012-media-vast-rightwing-conspiracy-stupid
CNN's failure to question Paul Ryan's falsehoods is emblematic of the idiot wind blowing through American electoral politics<p>Wednesday night, the GOP's nominee for vice-president, Paul Ryan, delivered a speech loaded with pure, fundamental deceit on its core claims. The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn has the <a href="http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/106730/ryan-most-dishonest-convention-speech-five-lies-gm-medicare-deficit-medicaid">clearest and most concise explanation</a> of those falsehoods.</p><p>Reflecting the pure worthlessness and chronic failure of CNN, however, <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/08/great_moments_in_cnn_euphemisms.php">here is how</a> that network's lead anchor, Wolf Blitzer, reacted after the speech was finished:</p><p>&quot;So there he is, the Republican vice-presidential nominee and his beautiful family there. His mom is up there. This is exactly what this crowd of Republicans here, certainly Republicans all across the country, were hoping for. He delivered a powerful speech, Erin, a powerful speech. Although I marked seven or eight points, I'm sure the fact-checkers will have some opportunities to dispute if they want to go forward; I'm sure they will. As far as Mitt Romney's campaign is concerned, Paul Ryan on this night delivered.&quot;</p><p>&quot;That's right. Certainly so. We were jotting down points. There will be issues with some of the facts. But it motivated people. He's a man who says I care deeply about every single word. I want to do a good job. And he delivered on that. Precise, clear, and passionate.&quot;</p><p>&quot;'A powerful speech' with only 'seven or eight' facts to dispute? Sounds like a winner … [I]n the end, isn't 'precise, clear, and passionate' more important than truthful?&quot;</p><p>&quot;So there he is, the Republican vice-presidential nominee and his beautiful family there. His mom is up there … He's a man who says I care deeply about every single word. I want to do a good job.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/election-2012-media-vast-rightwing-conspiracy-stupid">Continue reading...</a>US elections 2012Paul RyanCNNRepublicansWorld newsUS politicsMediaUS newsThu, 30 Aug 2012 15:23:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/election-2012-media-vast-rightwing-conspiracy-stupidPublic domainAndrew Gombert/EPAPaul Ryan's address to the RNC contained a number of notably dubious claims, yet CNN's Wolf Blitzer chiefly admired 'his beautiful family'. Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPAAndrew Gombert/EPAPaul Ryan with his wife Janna and daughter Elizabeth at the Republican national convention in Florida where he tried to build a moral case for ousting Barack Obama and electing Mitt Romney as president. Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPAGlenn Greenwald2012-08-30T15:23:00Z